The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Tourism ministry recently awarded several “safarians” for participating in Safari 2008 which Minister Manniram Prashad said he hopes will become an international event.
Prashad challenged the GTA, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana and other stakeholders to make the safari, a tour of Guyana’s interior regions, a reality.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, Safari 2008 started in Georgetown and ended at Orinduik. Prashad praised the “safarians” especially the “pioneer” bikers who completed the journey on their dirt bikes.
The minister said the convoy stopped at several villages along the trail to encourage residents to participate in developing tourism in their region. They encouraged them to produce mementos for visitors.
Meanwhile, in his address at the award ceremony Hinterland Coordinator at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Harripersaud Nokta said it started as a footpath by Pakaraima residents. With the aid of the native Patamunas a trail was fashioned and the first safari was held on March 22.
Nokta said work has continued on the trail and it has so far reached Maikwak and will eventually lead to Chenapau which will make it easier to access the Kaieteur National Park.
The Pakaraima Moun-tains, one of the oldest geological formations in the Guianas, links regions eight and nine. It is located in the western part of Guyana and offers some of the most stunning views in South America. The Mountains, which were named by the Patamunas are also known to have rich flora and fauna and are known as a “bird watcher’s paradise.” According to GINA, many of the participants said that they “had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of sleeping in hammocks, going up and down bumpy trails and most of all experiencing the breathtaking sceneries of undulating landscape, magnificent sunsets and sunrises.”
The release said too agencies such as Rainforest Tours and its Managing Director Frank Singh who sponsored the event were also awarded at the ceremony hosted at the Sophia Exhibition Complex. GINA was also given an award for its 30-minute documentary on the Safari.
Meanwhile, government has undertaken several initiatives to promote domestic tourism. This includes offering an affordable package to the Kaieteur National Park that it subsidized, the Pakaraima Safari and promotions for events such as the Bartica Regatta and the Rupununi Rodeo. Plans are also in train to conduct a bus tour to the Iwokrama Field Station.
